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Aleksandra Krunic and Bernarda Pera have set up the final at the Hungarian Grand Prix. On Saturday, the Serbian and American won their semi-final matches against Yulia Putintseva and Anna Bondar respective to advance to the title match-up.
Krunic toppled the defending titlist and third-seeded Putintseva in straight sets 6-2, 6-2 in 75 minutes. This defeat brought an end to the Kazakh’s winning run of eight matches in the Hungarian capital and also ended her hopes of attempting to retain the title.
Hungarian Grand Prix: Aleksandra Krunic holds firm
Putintseva put in 78% of her first-serves as compared to Krunic’s 58% but was able to win only 53% of her first-serve points to her opponent’s 70%. In terms of second-serve points won, Krunic won 62% points off her second serves to Putintseva’s 45%.
Krunic also saved the entirety of the seven break points she faced while securing four breaks on her rival’s serve. Including her semi-final, Krunic’s dropped merely six games in her last three matches that including near-identical scores in her second-round and quarter-final matches against Shuai Zhang and Xiyu Wang respectively.
In the other semi-final, Pera ousted the ninth-seeded and native player, Bondar, 6-3, 6-4 in 95 minutes. Pera won 69% of her first-serve points to Bondar’s 63% and 47% of her second-serve points to the latter’s 40%.
The 66th-ranked Pera saved two of the four break points she faced while converting five of the 12 break points on the 53rd-ranked Bondar’s serve. The Hungarian Grand Prix’s the first time Bernarda Pera’s reached the final of a WTA event.
Meanwhile, Aleksandra Krunic’s trying to win the second WTA title of her career in what’s the third final of her career. In her first final in 2017 at the Guangzhou Open, Krunic lost to Zhang while in her second final in 2018 at the Rosmalen Open (S’Hertogenbosch), the 105th-ranked Krunic beat Kirsten Flipkens to win her maiden career trophy.